The present disclosure relates to a facsimile apparatus that uses Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in facsimile communications.
Facsimile apparatuses are configured to read an original document, to generate image data of the original document, and to send, via a facsimile transmission, the generated image data to a communication partner facsimile apparatus. In other situations, facsimile apparatuses are configured to receive image data that has been sent from a communication partner facsimile apparatus via a facsimile transmission and to print a facsimile image represented by the received image data.
Facsimile communications that use analog telephone lines such as the G3 facsimile have widely been used. In recent years, due to the development of the Internet and intranet networks, facsimile communications that use email addresses and facsimile communications that use IP addresses are becoming popular.
Facsimile apparatuses have a function of informing a communication partner facsimile apparatuses of the facsimile number thereof (hereinafter, “sender number”). The sender number informing function is realized by a facsimile apparatus having registered therein, in advance, the facsimile number thereof that is set therewith (the sender number), so that a communication partner facsimile apparatus is informed of the sender number when the facsimile apparatus sends a facsimile thereto.
This function is, conversely, realized by a communication partner facsimile apparatus having registered therein, in advance, the facsimile number thereof that is set therewith, so that a receiving facsimile apparatus is informed of the sender number of the communication partner facsimile apparatus when the communication partner facsimile apparatus sends a facsimile thereto.
Further, facsimile apparatuses have a reception rejecting function. The reception rejecting function is a function realized by a facsimile apparatus having registered therein, in advance, the facsimile number set with a communication partner facsimile apparatus, so as to reject the reception of image data sent from the communication partner facsimile apparatus via a facsimile transmission. For example, a user registers in advance, into the facsimile apparatus, the facsimile number of a communication partner that may send, via a facsimile transmission, image data of a facsimile image which the user does not wish to print. By using the reception rejecting function, it is possible to reject the reception of the image data and is therefore possible to prevent the facsimile image represented by the image data from being printed.
Facsimile images for advertisement purposes (called junk faxes) that are unilaterally sent without any prior notice are problematic.
When the sender numbers of such communication partner facsimile apparatuses that send a junk fax are disclosed to the receivers, the sender numbers may be subject to the reception rejection. Thus, some communication partner facsimile apparatuses do not register the sender number thereof on purpose. Accordingly, those communication partner facsimile apparatuses send a facsimile without informing the receiver of the sender number.
To cope with this situation, the reception rejecting function includes a function of rejecting the reception of image data sent via a facsimile transmission without informing the receiver of the sender number.
Facsimile apparatuses are able to perform facsimile communications even if the sender number is not registered therein. Thus, some users forget to register the sender number in the facsimile apparatuses.
When a facsimile is sent from a communication partner facsimile apparatus of which the user has forgotten to register the sender number therein, if a receiving facsimile apparatus is configured with a setting to reject the reception of image data sent via any facsimile transmission without informing the receiver of the sender number, the receiving facsimile apparatus rejects the reception of the image data. In other words, because of the setting where, for the purpose of rejecting the reception of junk faxes, the reception of image data is rejected if sent via a facsimile transmission without informing the receiver of the sender number, it may be impossible to receive some image data sent via facsimile transmissions that actually needs to be received.
To cope with this problem, a notification technique has been proposed by which a communication partner facsimile apparatus that has sent a facsimile without informing the receiver of the sender number is prompted to configure a setting so as to inform receivers of the sender number.